Computer operation control and item selection and vending methods and systems

• US 7,156,306 B1
• Filed: 04/22/2002
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: John A. Kenney
• Inventors: Kenney, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hess, Daniel A.
• Application Number:
  US10/127,514
• Time in Patent Office: 1,716 Days
• Field of Search: 235/454, 235/462.01, 705/26, 705/16, 705/23, 705/27
• US Class Current: 235/454
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering

Abstract

A signal is transmitted into a computer in response to an image on a display screen of the computer such that the computer operates in response to the signal; this includes moving a scanner in optical communication with the display screen such that the scanner detects an image (for example, a bar code) displayed on the screen and generates the signal in response. One or more computers may be used, and this may be used for vending a product or other purposes. With or without such scanning, a portion of a store environment may be displayed on a screen of a computer, including showing images of actual products for sale at the store, in which images of actual products are accessed via the computer from a database containing in-store images recorded in the store during a period of non-existent or minimal customer presence in the store. A vending system is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer operation control method comprising transmitting into a computer a signal in response to an image on a display screen of said computer such that said computer operates in response to said signal, including moving a scanner in optical on said screen and generates said signal in response wherein said signal defines information necessary to generate a list comprising at least one product and said signal defines information needed to generate an order for the item.

2. A computer operation control method as defined in claim 1, wherein the image includes a bar code image and moving a scanner includes using a bar code scanner to scan the bar code image.

3. A computer operation control method as defined hi claim 1, wherein the image includes an alphanumeric character and moving a scanner includes using an optical character recognition scanner to scan the alphanumeric character.

4. A computer operation control method as defined in claim 1, wherein the image includes a graphic element and moving a scanner includes using an optical scanner to scan the graphic element.

5. A computer operation control method as defined in claim 1, wherein the image is selected from the group consisting of a bar code image, an alphanumeric image, and a graphic image.